Keloid and hypertrophic scars appear on the skin after injury or acne or spontaneously in the shape of a hard bump or swelling which usually causes much distress, both aesthetic and functional, besides pain, it causes both itching and burning sensations and can become a lifelong problem unless medically treated.
Silicone gel or occlusive sheeting is widely used at present for the treatment of hypertrophic and keloid scars without any scientific explanation as to its mode of action. See, Ahn, et al., Surgery, 106:781-787 (1989), Mercer N. S. G., Br J Plast Surg, 42:83-87, (1989); Perkins, et al., Burns, 9:201-204, (1982); Quinn K. J., Burns, 13 Suppl!S33-S40, (1987); Quinn, et al., Burns, 12:102-108, (1985); Sawada and Sone, Br J Plast Surg, 43:683-688, (1990); and Ohmori, S., Aesth. Plast Surg 12:95-99, (1988). With this treatment, softening and flattening of the scar was experienced after from 7 to 12 months of continuous covering of the scar. Professor B. Hirshowitz and other researchers recently noted that rubbing contact with silicone sheeting creates a static electric field which, they believe, acts on the scar, prompting its reversal to normal tissue. See, Hirshowitz, et al., Eur J Plast Surg., 16:5-9, 1993).
The skin and the dermis of hypertrophic and keloid scars are histologically and chemically different from that of intact skin. In the epidermis of these scars the keratin layer is thin or even absent, while in intact skin keratin forms an insulating layer. Paucity of this layer reduces its electrical resistance, and it appears that an electrical charge causes polarization of the ions within the scar and thereby the internal components of the interstitium. The negative ions on the silicone repel circulating negatively charged components in the scar tissue and attract positively charged components. It is also thought that the electrical field may reduce the concentration of mast cells which appear in those scars during proliferation. In short, it is postulated that treatment of this type of scar by tightly covering it with a layer of a soft sheet of silicone causes softening of the keloid matter by reducing the number of mast cells, by reducing the blood flow and by softening the scar. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a non-invasive treatment for hypertrophic and keloid scars which would shorten the time of scar involution by many months.
It is reasoned that increasing of the static electric field (negative charge) applied to the scar could hasten the inhibitory healing process and shorten the time until involution of the scar occurs.